ANDY Lewis takes his young Hertfordshire team into the last game of the summer at Bury St Edmunds against Suffolk on Sunday and is hoping to end a tough season on a positive note. The skipper is still chasing a first win of the season for Herts after

ANDY Lewis takes his young Hertfordshire team into the last game of the summer at Bury St Edmunds against Suffolk on Sunday and is hoping to end a tough season on a positive note.

The skipper is still chasing a first win of the season for Herts after a summer where run scoring has been below par on difficult wickets in tough weather conditions. He said: "The highest opening partnership in the championship has been 53, and this exposes the middle order to a ball that is generally still hard. We simply haven't scored enough runs to allow our bowlers something to bowl at.

"I don't want to make excuses but I do feel we have had a pretty luckless season, and at this level a little bit of luck can go a long way. We have lost the toss and been inserted on some pretty difficult wickets while facing, at times, some high-quality bowling."

The plus point for Herts has been the emergence of some good young players who should ensure the county get stronger in the coming seasons. Lewis said: "In Gary Brown of Stevenage and Steve Gale of Potters Bar, I believe we have two young, competent openers who could be involved with Hertfordshire cricket for a long time. The more they bat together the more they will start to understand each other's game and this will help the whole team.

"When it comes to bowling we have tried a number of different options but we lack anyone with a bit of pace and the ability to hit the bat hard, we really do need to look to find someone that can fit this mould.

"Andrew Hicks of North Mymms has proved to be a good find but an ideal situation would see him coming on first change rather than having the new ball. He has the ability to put the ball in the right areas on a repeated process and I hope he plays for a long time for us. The next few years have to be all about growing as a unit and working towards a goal of getting up towards the top of the league as we learn.